A blog on rock climbing, travel and science

"Courage is like love; it must have hope for nourishment." ~ Napoleon Bonaparte


Some of this stuff is just too good not to be written down...

Monday, October 31, 2011

2011-12 Joshua Tree Season Begins!

Going for it on Bearded Cabbage
Flailing on Bearded Cabbage


Great season opener weekend at Joshua Tree!  Good people and good times.  I ticked a few new ones: Ball Bearing (5.10a, linked both pitches), Pope's Crack (5.9) and the iconic Bearded Cabbage (5.10c).  I had been hesitant to get on Bearded Cabbage in the past, but Ben and I laid siege to it on Sunday.  I thought I might send.  Nope!  On the first go I swung my hand over into the crack and thought "Oh, that wasn't so hard." A few seconds later I was dangling on the end of the rope.  It's the transition of getting the second (right) hand in.  On the second go I managed an insecure jam that got me in, but I pitched off again before I could get established. Finally, I fully committed to the jam and made a couple of semi-desperate jams to a great stance in the crack.  Hard (burly) move, but I think I could figure out some alternative beta.  After that the business is over, but don't forget to enjoy the moves because this hand crack alone would make for something of a classic...

Sending Bearded Cabbage (kind of)!

I also repeated ascents of: Stichter Quits (5.7, Nathan lead), Touch and Go (5.9), Fote Hog (5.6, Nathan lead), Hobbit Roof (5.10d, Ben lead), and Toe Jam (5.6, Ben in approach shoes lead).  Great weekend out!



Nathan firing Stichter Quits (5.7). 120', 4 bolts.

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